Franklin D. Roosevelt's Statement to the Press following Crystal Night, 15 November 1938.
</I> Source: quoted in Saul Friedman, No Haven For the Oppressed, (Detroit 1973), p. 86-87.
The news of the past few days from Germany has deeply shocked public opinion in the United States. Such news from any part of the world would inevitably produce a similar profound reaction among American people in every part of the nation. I myself could scarcely believe that such things could occur in a twentieth century civilisation. With a view to gaining a first-hand picture of the current situation in Germany, I asked the Secretary of State to order our Ambassador in Berlin to return at once for report and consultation.